Mind blown, my jaws are still changing!

[molestrip]

So I visited my dentist to make molds for a restoration plan of my teeth. He pulled up my panoramic x-ray from 2003 when I was almost 24 years old and I was shocked to discover that my bite has changed since then. In the last decade, my open bite has nearly closed on it's own due to skeletal changes! It explains why my front teeth have been hurting in the mornings the past few years, the teeth are growing into it and it no longer fits now! I recall I used to bite evenly on both sides and in my late 20s it shifted slightly to one side. I thought maybe I had worn down the teeth unevenly but my dentist tells me I now have a slight cant so I think I just got uneven downward growth to the maxilla. Hopefully my surgeon can fix that, though it's very subtle, like 1-2mm maybe, so not critical.

Anyway, I thought I'd post the x-rays here. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Panoramic x-rays

Have you ever heard of such a thing? I'm going to mention it to the orthodontist next week. Given that I only need 3-4mm expansion to upper arch, I'm wondering if expansion might be a good option for me. The sutures might actually not be closed in my case. Only problem is I don't want to delay surgery too much since it's also going to cure my sleep apnea. Is it possible to do braces and expansion at the same time?

[needadvancement]

Thanks for posting this man. It's only more incentive to properly use retainers forever after treatments are finished.

[molestrip]

I had a short stint with braces when I was 12 and I've been wearing the same retainer and night guard ever since. I just replaced them last year, over 20 years later. This still happened in spite of it. It's making me wonder whether I need expansion at all. From x-rays, it looks like the teeth are slightly tipped in already, probably as a result of the maxilla widening but the mouth guard keep them in place.

[needadvancement]

Oh really? But how could the retainers still fit when this change occured?

[molestrip]

Retainers only keep teeth in place. If the bone changes, then the teeth just move within the bone while it's growing.

[terry947]

yes bones are always changing. People think the craniofacial area is solid. The bones on your face are always changing.

Also my open bite has been naturally closing after I've started to keep my teeth together at rest. My teeth are also now starting to lock in when i bite down.  I'll post pictures on the future.

looks like your condyles have gotten smaller though...

[needadvancement]

My teeth have been tipping inward for years too as well as the incisors overerruption, I wish I had proof but I'm very sure of of this deterioration over the years. Atleast you guys had positive changes.

[molestrip]

It does appear that way but the x-rays were done by different doctors and panoramic x-rays aren't great for examining 3d structures. The older x-ray has greater exposure and is zoomed in more. Judging by the space around the head, it's about the same on one side and a larger on the other (R) side. I don't know if the socket size would have been expected to change but there is a slight cant to the maxilla now so it's possible that with correction it will fit more snuggly in the socket again. I've had them examined by three doctors now (prosthatdontist, orthodontist, and oral surgeon) using CBCT and MRI (in all 3 positions). I'm told there's been some normal arthritis but that functionally they are perfect. Whatever the change, I'm hoping that jaw surgery will keep them in their current shape at least.

[molestrip]

It didn't widen. The front teeth grew down. Notice the curve in the maxilla has turned into a straight line.

[molestrip]

It's hard to tell because of age related changes to fat in the face but I think my cheekbones grew. I didn't have any definition at the time and I have some now. My open bite is now 2mm but it's not interesting because my jaws are at two different angles and the teeth are worn down.